Shut Up, Todd

My rebound after rick and morty- Bojack Horseman was started as I was scrolling through my netflix account, of course i had heard of it. As I finish season 5 i now realize how more nihilstic and grounded the show really was. It actually shows how your can wrap sinister tones in a comedy so beautifully. I have rolled on the floor while watching the show to only realize the true meaning of it 10 minutes after.

I love cartoons, because they’re stupid, quick, have big colours, etc. Initially, when I pressed play on S.1, EP. 1 ofBoJack Horseman, it was a seemingly meaningless action and comedy like many others on netflix. Cartoons in general are a great way to portray things you cannot easily portray in real life: ie, when Peter Griffin gets in a 20 minute fight with a human sized chicken inFamily Guy, or when Homer Simpson reaches behind his TV cabinet and accesses an alternate dimension. Usually, the tool of the surreal is used for comical purposes, like in the aforementioned examples. But inBoJack Horseman, the tool is used to effectively express the complexities of depression, abuse, trauma, addiction, nostalgia, and dealing with your past.

For those of you who have never seen the show,BoJack Horsemandepicts a literal Horse-Man (not to be confused with his last name, which is ironically, Horseman), in a satirical Hollywood (called Hollywoo), where he lives his life as a C-List actor, who was famous in the 90’s after being on aFull House-type show, and is now trying to get his life and career back on track. You quickly learn that he is a selfish, abusive alcoholic/drug addict, who has no real friends, unhealthy ties to his family, and seemingly demolishes every relationship that comes into his life. The show holds nothing back, from BoJack indirectly killing his only friend by enabling her drug use, to BoJack trying to apologize to another friend who’s on his death bed with terminal cancer – who, instead of accepting his apology, tells BoJack he has to “live with the shitty thing he did” – to his only friend and confidant unable to tell him that he is a “good person” after BoJack blatantly asks if he is. This is all done while explaining his past trauma, his relationship with his family, his mother’s neglect, and his grandmother’s neglect of his mother. He is the protagonist, so you know you’re supposed to like him, but he does so many selfish and truly shitty things that you sometimes can’t. But then on the other hand, his past explains why he’s like that, so you also kind of empathize. Can we say complex?

The protagonist himself is voiced by Will Arnett and his parasitic friend who later(spoilers) moves out of the house is voiced by Aaron paul from Breaking Bad. Its hosts a variety of other characters namely Princess Carolyn,Diane Nguyen and Mr. Peanutbutter. BoJack Horsemanis lauded for its realistic take on dealing withdepression, addictionself-destructive behaviour,racism all through depiction of animals as human beings. Though i had a rocky start for being dark, it is now a favourite. Best watch the episodes when you get existential ;)

A personal favorite episode would be season 3 episode 4. Its premise is underwater and is beautifully depicted.